For decoy enthusiasts and collectors who want to replicate the grace, flow, and imperfections found in antique duck decoys, this resource presents the process for carving the traditional, streamlined wood replicas. Chapters focus on every aspect of this classic art form—from selecting the proper wood and cutting out the head and eyes to body surface and tail detail. Additional sections offer tips on the painting of decoys, including information on selecting a color palette, blending paint lines, mixing paints, glazing, and aging by employing both ding-and-dent technology and water- and heat-stress methods.
Swirl marbles comprise one of the largest categories of antique handmade glass marbles and come in many distinct and eye-catching types, ranging from banded and clambroth swirls to latticinio core and ribbon core swirls. With over 850 vibrant color photographs, this book displays swirl marbles in their many engaging types. The text explains swirl marble types, provides tables of current market prices, and directs collectors to marble clubs and meets across the country. This attractive and interesting book is a must for all who collect glass and are fascinated with marbles.
This wonderful book has become the standard pocket guide in the field. It is just what collectors need for quick and easy reference...and its newly updated prices make it invaluable. Both handy and beautiful, it shows over 500 pens and pencils in nearly full-size color photos and provides short histories of nineteen main manufacturing companies. Concise, helpful information with each photo includes a guide to the price of each pen and pencil.
More than 4,500 objects on 415 plates illustrate a remarkable variety of decorative ironwork from Roman times to the 19th century. Drawn from a rare 1924 source by a noted scholar and collector, it runs the gamut from door knockers and grilles to jewelry and religious symbols.
Crime-solving antiques dealer Josie Prescott is back—tracking down a doll collection to die for. On a sparkling spring day in the cozy coastal town of Rocky Point, New Hampshire, with the lilacs in full bloom and the wisteria hanging low, antiques dealer Josie Prescott is showing a stellar doll collection she's just acquired to Alice Michaels, the queen of the local investment community. Moments later, Josie watches in horror as Alice is shot and killed. Within hours, one of Josie’s employees, Eric, is kidnapped. The kidnapper’s ransom demand is simple—he wants the doll collection. Working against the clock with the local police chief, Josie discovers that the dolls hold secrets that will save Eric and uncover the truth behind Alice’s murder.
“Provide[s] clear, well-illustrated instructions on a variety of decorative finishes....offers a review of the materials, with directions on application and...equipment...shows how the techniques can be combined and applied to particular furniture projects....focuses...on the use of different media.... Recommended.”—Library Journal.

Antiques aficionados and rummagers of every stripe: call to mind dimly lit attics, trunks smelling of old leather, dusty cartons, and that indescribable tingle of suspense aroused by the idea of a hidden prize which has been lying there, biding its time, waiting for you to find it. If you follow the instructions we have mapped out for you, you might discover almost anything. . . Armed with this list of Paris addresses, carefully selected to fulfill all your desires, you’ll be equipped with what you need to search for the unknown, unexpected surprise, be it large or small. Paris still contains many mysterious secrets and magical places, which you’ll discover, to your wonderment, as you explore its secondhand stores that are brimming with all sorts of decorative curiosities. At the rear of a courtyard or sheltered by a nineteenth-century arcade, in a Gothic stone basement or in an ordinary-looking shop, you will find a cornucopia of delights at a variety of prices, always with charm.Fifty-eight antique, vintage, and curiosity shops–as well as the Saint-Ouen flea market–are profiled and photographed in this lavish guide to all things collectible in Paris.
Master Antique Styles PainlesslyNot sure how to tell Chippendale from Queen Anne, or Art Deco from Art Nouveau? Learn the easy way with the author's entertaining style. Frank Farmer Loomis IV is an expert communicator who knows how to engage students with anecdotes and humor. If you're looking for clear, simple explanations rather than unpronounceable terms like corbeille a fleurs (flower basket) or sang de boeuf (red glaze), you've come to the right place, as he will "demystify all the perplexing twaddle" for you. And while you're learning, discover your antiquing personality and how antiquing can reduce stress.A User-Friendly Reference for AntiquersMaster 16 major antique furniture styles and the six main woodsUse furniture styles to identify and date other antiquesLearn the various types of china, silver, pewter, and their marks